1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to beverage coolers and, in particular, to refreezable coolers which are configured to receive and store canned and/or bottled beverages.
2. Description of the Related Art
Oftentimes, it is desirable to transport beverages in a portable container or cooler so that convenient access to the beverages is provided, such as while playing golf, attending sporting events, going to a beach, etc. Hereinbefore, such a container typically has been formed of either insulating material, for maintaining the temperature of previously chilled beverages, or a combination of insulating material and cooling material, such as blue ice, for instance, whereby the cooling material chills a beverage stored within the container and the insulating material tends to maintain the temperature of both the cooling material and the chilled beverages.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,176, issued to Johnson, et al., discloses a beverage cooler, which includes a cylindrical freezer-pack insert to be placed into a cup, and a cover. In an embodiment of the Johnson device, the cylindrical freezer-pack insert includes removable sections to change its size, and removable plugs for putting coolant fluid into the removable sections. Since, however, the Johnson device is adapted for inserting within an individual cup, the device is limited for use in cooling one beverage at a time.
As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,345, issued to Atkinson, discloses a cooling container for canned beverages. The Atkinson device includes a reusable concave container for carrying and cooling canned beverages having a bottom section containing a plurality of cylindrical compartments, a top section containing corresponding compartments having a slow warming cooling gel in the upper end thereof, and a shoulder strap for carrying the container. While it is apparent that the Atkinson device addresses the problem of cooling multiple beverages simultaneously, it does not, however, provide for increased cooling efficiency of the beverages stored therein, as the cooling gel is stored only in the upper end of the container.
Therefore, there is a need for improved beverage coolers which address these and other shortcomings of the prior art.